Ray wiped the sweat from his brow and sat down for a moment. It wasn't just the unusual heat that was causing the sweat, but he knew there wasn't a lot of time to stand around. Even the Guard was out helping load the carts. They weren't even doing the threshing here, but just taking the raw wheat behind the walls. They would let the oxen stomp it in the flattened square near the markets, but they would likely lose some grains in the transport.
A flickering shadow in the corner of his eye was all the warning he got before a bladed arm came sweeping down at him. It got parried by a length of steel wielded by the Guardsman who was picking up wheat, but Ray couldn't move. Turned to stone from the sudden flurry of violence he saw and felt as that blade came down at him.
"Oh System, please be merciful to my unworthy soul." He muttered and he could have sworn there was a whisper in his mind, as the Guardsman failed to stop the second ant from taking his head.
---
Mirabella stood on the walls throwing bolts of fire towards the oncoming army of monsters. She had been trained as a mage and adventurer during her younger years, and so she made sure to yell out orders to the men and women under her command. But, the creatures were shaking off most attacks with their chitin, and mowing down the fleeing people as if they were the wheat they were just harvesting.
"Close the gates!" She yelled, knowing the monsters were too close to allow them to remain open any longer. Luckily it was mostly beastkin who remained out there since they had set them at the furthest fields. It would be a loss since they were physically strong, but she had to prioritize human life.
The dull thud was a death chime for those still out there, and some just stopped to stare up at them with a scared look on their faces. When the monsters went in for the kill, they were able to get a easy kills by targeting the mouth. It still cost the beastkin, or rare human, their lives, but it gave the rest of them chances. A few of more powerful mages were silently muttering and moving their fingers in patterns. Preparing to unleash powerful scripted spells that would need a period to recover from.
The black shelled monsters slammed into the thick walls, and Mirabella's blood ran cold as she watched them start to push through the stone like it was clay.
"Earth affinity!" She shouted, a touch of panic entering her voice. This would remove the walls if they couldn't kill them all before they reached the walls. The mages released their spells and waves of frost and ice slammed down on the dozen creatures causing them to slow. Cold was good against most animals, but it seemed to be especially effective against the ants as they stopped completely.
The next few seconds were just everyone focusing on each beast in turn until they were dead. With extra attention paid to those that were already in the walls. When it was done everyone kept a wary look around the area, and messages were both sent and received from the other parts of the wall. Each had fought the same number of monsters, which was concerning, and it was only the ice based spells that had been effective.
Mirabella smiled to herself since that gave the Captain a point over the mages in their tower. They had insisted that fire would do the best against bugs. She would have also wanted to position people on the whole wall, but would have focused on the southern parts since they were closest to the Dungeon. Which is why she always asked for all opinions since it was far too easy to overlook things by one's self.
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Suddenly cries were heard from afar, and the walls exploded.
---
The War Queen clacked to herself as the humans just left her gifts in place. Then, she flicked an antenna to trigger the embedded spells, and watched the sand version of the wall explode. It wasn't smart to make something very hot suddenly cold.
---
Mirabella found herself sprawled against a broken building with the sounds of screaming coming from all around. Her vision blurred and her head hurt from the impact, and she wasn't even sure where she was right now. Yet, the retreat procedure was clear, and so she wildly looked around until she saw the keep.
Gritting her teeth, she struggled to limp her way towards it. Luckily, the monsters weren't around, but she didn't know how long that would be for. A pair of armored hands grabbed her, and started dragging her towards the keep.
"Come on, my Lady," The Captain's voice rang hollow to her ears, but the ringing in them didn't help.
"W-what..what happened," She tried to get out. The steps were becoming easier as they made a quick pace towards the keep's walls.
"The mages don't know, but few of them are alive any longer." He replied, almost lifting her over a pile of debris, "The ants are slowly marching towards the Hold." His words surprised her since she would have expected them to just overrun the place after they broke down the walls. Thoughts were still slow and painful though, so she kept it to herself.
"I was worried when I saw you fly so far from the walls," He continued, a note of worry in his voice, "All would be for naught if you were to die." She frowned a bit at that, a noble is never the most important person, but she had never gotten that through to him.
As they were approaching the gate she finally found her feet, and was able to mostly walk straight. Her stats were in [Intelligence] and [Wisdom], but that didn't mean she wasn't stronger than an average person. It helped that her rings were all healing trinkets that must have been doing some serious work on her. Since each of them were broken now, a clear sign that they had been used up.
The people by the gates didn't seem to see her, and she had to struggle with the rest to get into the much smaller gate. Though the imposing size of the Captain seemed to draw enough attention after a few minutes to get her waved inside. It was a packed courtyard and the Guard helped her get into the keep proper and up into her rooms to rest.
The Captain stood by the windows while she sat and drank her stockpile of potions. The things were hard to get out here, but she had brought a few with her just in case. The liquids seemed to fill in the gaps within even those she didn't know were there, and her mana jumped back up.
"They are heading for the inner walls, my Lady." The Captain said, though he wasn't standing ready to fight, "With the outer walls gone it might be best for us to retreat up the road while the monsters are occupied with the commoners." Mirabella narrowed her eyes at the man. He had a plan... but something was odd about it.
"What are you thinking, Captain." She asked coldly, no cost was too great in the face of duty. A single life could be worth hundreds, but she thought a single life could only save hundreds. He knew that, and he was hinting at something.
"Perhaps..." He taps his helmet and pulls out a crystal with metal inlays spiraling around it, "A treasure I was given, and it can summon help that will turn aside these monsters." He continues, the crystal a swirl of many colors. Mirabella hadn't seen it before, but it would be just like her father to send such a treasure for a last minute escape.
"It will take us away from here won't it." She stated looking coldly at him, but he shook his head.
"No, I wouldn't besmirch your commitment to the people. This will remove any threat that faces this Hold, but it has a high cost." He gestured to himself and towards her, "We have to be willing to accept the terms." Mirabella had heard rumors of artifacts that could talk to the System itself, and could perform miracles. Yet, was she willing to agree to any terms just to save these people?
"Alright, what are these terms, System?" her hand landed on the jewel, and the world went dark.
---
Everyone still screamed for a few moments as the monsters came to a stop, and then just turned around to leave. Dead bodies lay here and there, but there wasn't as many as it seemed. They were all just relieved that they were leaving, and even the news that Lady Mirabella was gone didn't darken the mood too much. They had survived certain death, and maybe the Lady was the reason for that?